The Mech Touch

The crisis had passed and Ves regained his normal condition again. After several hours of intensive physical examinations, he slowly eased his worries. His body and his Jutland organ no longer acted out anymore.

In fact, he had grown a little more comfortable in his own skin. Though Ves had some close shaves earlier, he did not regret his decision to go through with the procedure. Blinky's addition to his life already made a substantial difference to his life.

Though Blinky did not come with a manual that clearly explained what he could do, Ves felt it was more interesting to find out what his new cat could do through his own efforts.

There were multiple facets to the young and elegant-looking cat.

On the surface, the purple spiritual companion exuded an intriguing charm that looked quite attractive. Ves was not immune to this effect, so he figured that Blinky would look even more charming to others.

The meaning of the strange blinking light pattern streaming over the surface of the companion spirit's body eluded Ves. It was clear that Blinky inherited this lightshow from the Illustrious One, and while it did make the cat more mysterious, too much attention wasn't always desirable.

"You're too handsome for your own good, Blinky! I bet that even if I cover you up in a coat, you'll still draw eyeballs."

Mrow~?

Blinky's glowing eyes blinked as he comfortably settled in Ves' mind. Out of all of the places he could settle, he chose to rest next to Gloriana's dormant spiritual fragment. The new cat rubbed his cheeks against the fragment as if to pass on his scent.

Fortunately, he didn't raise his hind legs in order to mark his territory. When Ves wondered whether it was necessary to neuter his new pet, a shudder ran through his back and his hands almost tried to cover his crotch.

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Though Blinky was an autonomous existence, he was also an empowered extension of Ves. Neutering his companion spirit was no different from emasculating himself!

Mrow?!

The Star Cat possessed sharp instincts and already sensed a threat.

"Hahaha, it's nothing, Blinky! You just continue to relax. There is nothing wrong."

This little exchange highlighted the asymmetrical relationship between owner and companion spirit.

Ves was able to read Blinky's thoughts and could even take over direct control of his body. Of course, just like piloting a mech, this was much harder to do if his companion spirit didn't cooperate or actively resisted.

Blinky wasn't able to do the same to Ves. The cat was a weaker and subordinate existence to him, so it would be absurd if the companion spirit suddenly took charge.

This was a deliberate design choice. The purpose of companion spirits was to become the pets and helpers of the people they were attached to. In no circumstance should they ever usurp the original consciousness of the bodies they inhabited!

Still, Blinky was not completely ignorant of what Ves was thinking. Since the cat inhabited a mind, he was able to sense the thoughts and emotions swirling around him. It was easy enough to judge the general direction of what Ves was thinking and feeling by observing what was flowing through his mind.

In short, the relationship between people and their companion spirits was quite similar to that of a mech pilot and their mechs.

As a mech designer, Ves did not see anything wrong with copying this model. The power balance was also similar, though a companion spirit possessed a lot more autonomy than a mech since they weren't meant to be directly controlled.

It was in his best interest to develop a good relationship with Blinky's autonomous personality. Not only would they be able to cooperate to a greater degree, but also ensure that Blinky grew in a direction that was more favorable to Ves.

If a companion spirit did not provide any value to the people they were attached to, then there was little point to their existence. Ves used up valuable ingredients to create Blinky, and he expected a good return on investment for his troubles.

"Your checkup is over." Dr. Ranya said as she entered the main chambered and looked at Ves with a curious expression. "While there has been some change in parameters, none of it leads me to believe you are in danger."

"That sounds good. How is my Jutland organ?"

"I do not fully comprehend it, so there is little I can say with confidence, sir. My overall judgement is that your Jutland organ has returned to its normal, stable state. From what I have observed, it is a powerful energy-generating organ that is likely part of a greater system. The reason why you are unable to control it is because Dr. Jutland has likely refrained from implanting you with other organs that are able to do something with this energy cycle."

Ves raised his eyebrow. "That's quite a concerning guess. Do you have any proof of your assertion?"

"I don't have hard proof, no, but the interaction between Blinky and your Jutland organ suggests that you may have inadvertently moved closer to Dr. Jutland's original design. If my guess is correct, then Blinky capabilities may allow him to substitute the follow-up organ of this larger system. This could be a way to channel and make use of the higher-grade energy running through your body."

Her logic was sound. Ves was like a mech that possessed all of the basic functions but not much else. If he started off as a third-class mech, then Dr. Jutland upgraded many parts of the overall frame to second-class standards while replacing the old power reactor with a massively overpowered first-class component!

This caused a fundamental imbalance in Ves that never made much sense.

After completing the Groening Mission, he tried hard to figure out how to use the Jutland organ and the high-quality Worclaw energy it generated to his advantage.

Unfortunately, the high-quality energy running through his body did not do much aside from forcefully improving his physique. It could even pose a threat to him just like how the excessive power generated by a first-class power reactor could easily fry the power lines of a lesser mech!

No mech designer was crazy enough to invest so much effort and resources to insert a very potent power reactor in an ordinary mech, especially when the machine in question did not possess any powerful weapons, shield generators or other modules that could put all of that energy to good use!

This was why Ves became intrigued by Dr. Ranya's guess. If she was correct, then Dr. Jutland must have originally designed a powerful 'module' that would allow the unbalanced mech to leverage its excess energy in order to accomplish powerful effects.

It was too bad that Dr. Jutland was long dead. His bodily remains and whatever research he left behind fell into the hands of the CFA.

There was no way for Ves, Ranya or any other biotech expert in the Larkinson Clan to recreate Dr. Jutland's missing work.

Yet mechs did not necessarily have to contain the work of just one mech designer or mech company.

As long as other mech designers figured out how to tap into the energy generated by the power reactor, they could easily design and fabricate all manner of other weapons and modules that could complete the mech in question!

Ves gained a greater appreciation for Blinky. The companion spirit might finally allow him to make use of the energy cycle that he had long neglected due to helplessness!

He quickly reined in his excitement, though. He did not forget the danger he had just gone through.

"I think your theory has a lot of merit, doctor, but I'm not in the mood to rush anymore. I should get more familiar with Blinky first and give him time to familiarize himself with all of his abilities. I'm not sure why he was able to absorb and integrate the Worclaw crystal, but seeing how he was able to calm my energy cycle after this, I'm sure this is the key component to harnessing the energy in my body."

The two exchanged a few more ideas about this topic. If Ves felt his body was still unstable, then it was important to figure out how Blinky could help and prevent any further incidents.

Since this wasn't the case, Ves thought it was better to slow down and avoid doing anything drastic. He had already gone through enough difficulties for one day.

"I believe it is best to perform periodic checks on your body and more specifically your Jutland organ." Dr. Ranya advised. "You don't have to travel to the Dragon's Den for routine examinations. I will make sure to inform the doctors aboard the Spirit of Bentheim of what I require. The equipment over there should be good enough to gather the data that we need."

"Alright. I will be working intensely on my upcoming mech design projects in the next couple of months, so I won't be able to pay much attention to this issue. I seriously doubt that it is relevant to my mech design work."

They continued to discuss various concerns related to the procedure that Ves had just completed. Ves couldn't explain much, though, so he eventually bid goodbye to her and made his way back to his flagship.

As he settled inside his shuttle, he continued to explore his new companion spirit.

"Blinky. Can you come forward?"

Mrow.

The companion spirit exited his mind and materialized into existence. However, just like Goldie, Blinky wasn't completely able to enter the material realm. He just became visible to the naked eye and exuded a noticeable presence.

Only spiritual entities were able to touch him. When Ves passed his hand on Blinky's body, it went right through. He had to leverage his own Spirituality in order to physically interact with his new companion spirit.

"Come over here, please."

The cat floated over until he landed on Ves' lap. His large, glowing eyes blinked upwards.

Ves couldn't resist the cuteness and petted the lovely companion spirit. Though he felt like he was petting any other cat, a part of him had the illusion that he was patting himself on the head!

He subtly shook his head. "Ugh. This is confusing. I need to get used to this double sensation."

Ketis didn't seem to be bothered by this issue. While she was definitely aware that Sharpie was a part of her, she pretty much treated her living sword intent as a separate existence.

Perhaps this approach was for the best. Ves couldn't keep on doubting his own identity whenever he did something with Blinky.

As soon as he made this determination, much of the confusion in his mind faded away. As Ves turned Blinky over in order to rub the cute cat's belly, he did not feel as if he was babying himself.

"Hehehe. I am absolutely not rubbing myself. Nope. I am simply stroking my cat. That's all."

Mrow! Mrow!

Blinky quickly grew annoyed with the excessive pampering. He hissed and squirmed out of the reach of those touchy hands.

"Goldie. Come out and meet your younger brother."

Nyaaaaaaa.

A glowing golden form appeared in midair. Goldie soon locked eyes with Blinky.

For a moment, Ves was concerned that they would begin to wrestle again each other or something, but his fears turned out to be unfounded.

Nyaaaaa~

Mrow~

The two spiritual cats approached each other and bumped their noses. They liked each other's faces and began to explore each other.

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They had already acknowledged their familial ties!

The two cats made for quite a striking contrast when they pressed their bodies close. Goldie was as radiant as a nearby sun while Blinky's body was like a tapestry of space where dozens of distant, blinking stars faded in and out.

Ves was glad that the two got along.

The Golden Cat gladly welcomed the arrival of another cat of her kind. Blinky was perhaps the second spiritual cat that was closely identical to her own existence. While Goldie befriended plenty of other design spirits, it just wasn't the same.

As for Blinky, he was still new and curious about his own state of existence. He had no friends yet aside from Ves and Goldie was a great relative to spend time with. Hopefully, she could quickly get Blinky up to speed on how to live his life as a spiritual cat.